The public power, along with sovereignty, the territory, the population, is among key signs of the state. Its essence is expressed in concentration of powers of authority in hands of professional managers.
Instruction
1. Existence of the office of the public power - the most important sign of the state. The public nature of the power designates that the states made from the face decisions are obligatory for all society irrespective of whether it participated in their acceptance or not. At the same time the subject's relation to the made decisions can be and negative. But on this case the public power has an enforcement machinery which guarantees performance of laws throughout the state. Though in the democratic states mechanisms of influence of society on the power are provided. Therefore, those decisions which are not supported by society can be and are revised.
2. The public power reflects an institutional basis of the state. It consists of a state machinery, a law-enforcement system, military, repressive, retaliatory bodies. The public power is formed at the expense of a special class of people - officials and government employees. They on a contract basis perform administrative functions and receive for it a reward.
3. The public power reflects differentiation of the state from society. Its existence divides social community into managing directors and operated. At the same time the power always has to follow the interests of the people and unites it.
4. The government performs a number of the major functions. Among them law-making, law-enforcement, law-enforcement and supervising and control. In realization of these functions the power has exclusive character. It also distinguishes the government from political.
5. The most important characteristics of the public power are the legality and legitimacy. In the first case it is about a legal basis of the power. Legal it is possible to consider the power which was created according to selective procedures. For example, by elections. And the power created as a result of military takeover in fact it is impossible to consider legal.
6. The legitimacy cannot be identified with legality. It is understood as authority of the government, level of its support from the population and compliance to its value expectations. The legitimacy of the power in the state can be under construction on traditions (it is peculiar for monarchic societies), on authority or personal charisma of heads (it is typical for authoritative societies), or on a rationale. The last type of legitimacy is characteristic of the democratic states. In this case people submit not directly to the authority of the leader or elite, and laws. The power in such society - is depersonalized, it only the instrument of providing an order in society.